Month: March 2017

I decided to try something new with my latest book, Turn Your World Around in 80 Days, by hiring a professional editor. This particular project is near and dear to my heart, and I wanted it to be as good as it could possibly be. It took several weeks of research to find an editor that charged a reasonable price and possessed the expertise to do justice to my subject matter. I sent a sample of my manuscript and received such great feedback that I immediately moved to the next step.The init […]http://www.impactselfpublishing.com/blog/hiring-an-editor

A good outline can save you hundreds of hours of effort that would otherwise be spent rewriting. Knowing exactly how the individual pieces of your book fit together can give you clarity and direction, strengthening the final result.Plot and structure problems should be resolved in the outlining phase, before the writing begins. Then you’ll know exactly what to write about each time you work on your book, and after each successful session you can begin thinking about the next.A non-fiction […]http://www.impactselfpublishing.com/blog/the-benefits-of-a-good-outline

Some artists remain undiscovered until after they die, yet they live prolifically creative lives. This can happen because they choose not to disclose their creative talents, as in the case of Emily Dickinson. It can also happen when an artist feels the call to create, yet is so bold and innovative in comparison with contemporary works that the public is unsure what to think. Vincent van Gogh and Gustav Mahler fall into this category. Their art was poorly received at first, but they were m […]http://www.impactselfpublishing.com/blog/stepping-into-the-arena7674306

Several years ago a good friend of mine decided to write a novel. I was excited when she showed me the first few chapters, but quite quickly her progress began to slow. She was making major revisions as she wrote, changing characters and key plot elements along the way. After several rounds of major changes, she lost steam and her novel remains half-finished.To avoid a similar fate, when I started writing I used a technique I call “write forward” to create my rough draft. The idea of “wri […]http://www.impactselfpublishing.com/blog/write-forward